Former two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Oluwafemi Olaseni Joshua’s boxing career illustrates a grass-to-grace story of a fighter who defies all odds to become a national hero celebrated in his homeland.

Born on October 15, 1989, to Nigerian parents of Yoruba descent from Ogun State, in Watford, Hertfordshire, Great Britain, Joshua has maintained a connection to his roots despite missing the opportunity to represent Nigeria at the 2008 Olympics.

Joshua shot to stardom, barely four years later, winning the Olympic gold medal for Britain in 2012. Building on his Olympic gold medal success with many wins that ran into his transition to the heavyweight cadre, Joshua won his first IBF heavyweight title against Charles Martin in 2016.

Joshua, a perceived underdog, shocked the world when he defeated veteran heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko before 90,000 fans at Wembley Stadium in London in 2017, winning the WBA/IBF/WBO heavyweight titles.

He held the titles from 2018 to 2019, before losing them to Andy Ruiz Jr. However, Joshua reclaimed the titles from Ruiz before he was dethroned by the current heavyweight champion, Oleksandr Usyk.

In total, Joshua has a record of 28 wins, four losses, and zero draws in 32 professional career fights.

Black Lives Matter, #EndSARS: Racism is a virus, says Joshua

Outside the ring, Joshua has lent his voice to Black Lives Matter, campaigning against racism. In June 2020, Joshua, who was nursing a knee injury, joined a Black Lives Matter protest in Watford, England.

For Joshua, racism is a virus and a pandemic that should be collectively destroyed.

“The virus has been declared a pandemic. This is out of control. And I’m not talking about COVID-19. The virus I’m talking about is called racism,” Joshua said. “We can no longer sit back and remain silent on these senseless, unlawful killings and sly racism on another human being—based on what? Only their skin colour.”

Advocating peaceful demonstrations and protests against racism, Joshua said, “We need to speak out in peaceful demonstrations—just like today, so well done, Watford. We must not use a demonstration for selfish motives and turn it into rioting and looting.”

Joshua also lent his voice to historic EndSARS protests against years of systemic police brutality and extrajudicial killings.

“Well done to all the Nigerians who have been protesting against SARS—those who made donations to fund organisations lobbying against it, those who have recently been informed and took time to educate themselves. Those with the power to make change. Praying for Nigeria,” Joshua said.

Always a Naija boy

In and out of the ring, Joshua has proudly flaunted his Nigerian heritage, maintaining a strong connection to his roots. Beyond a tattoo of Africa and Nigeria on his shoulder, Joshua flies the Nigerian flag before his fight and sometimes gets ushered into the ring with Nigerian Afrobeat music.

For flying the Nigerian flag after beating Jake Paul, an American YouTuber turned boxer, in a heavyweight bout in Miami last week, Nick Buckley, a British politician from Manchester, railed against Joshua, calling him an “anti-white racist and an ungrateful hypocrite.”

Despite stardom, Joshua often makes holiday trips to his ancestral hometown, Sagumu in Ogun State, to connect with his kinsmen.

In 2020, Joshua met with the late former president Muhammadu Buhari to present his belts and gloves to the then Nigerian leader. His prostrating to greet the president in the Yoruba cultural style was a major highlight of the meeting.

Beyond symbolic postures, Joshua distributed food and other materials to families in Nigeria during the global COVID-19 lockdown.

Joshua was conferred with the Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) in 2022 and appointed Sports Ambassador for Ogun State, Nigeria, in late 2024.

Just as his past defeats have left his Nigerian supporters grieving, his last victory over Paul was celebrated by many. 

Likewise, Joshua’s involvement in an accident in which two people died on Monday has seen his name trending on Nigerian social media, with many praying for the survival of their hero on and off the ring.